The combination of the Tianzhou-10 cargo craft and a Long March-7 carrier rocket stands at the launch site at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Wenchang, South China's Hainan Province, on May 8, 2026. Photo: Screenshot from CCTV News

The combination of the Tianzhou-10 cargo craft and a Long March-7 carrier rocket was vertically transferred to its launch site on Friday, and the cargo spacecraft will be launched at a proper time in the near future, China Central Television (CCTV) News reported on Friday.

The mission will deliver a brand-new extravehicular spacesuit, a new space treadmill and six scientific experiment payloads to the space station, marking the largest number of uplinked payload projects since the construction of China's space station began, the report said.

The vertical transfer operation kicked off at 8 am on Friday, and currently, the facilities and equipment at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Wenchang, South China's Hainan Province, are in good condition, and comprehensive functionality checks and joint tests are scheduled to proceed as planned ahead of the launch, CCTV News reported, citing the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

Encased in the rocket's top fairing, the Tianzhou-10 cargo craft is set to carry nearly 6.3 tons of supplies to orbit. These vital materials will support the in-orbit work and daily life of the Shenzhou-23 and Shenzhou-24 taikonaut crews, covering more than 220 items for the taikonaut system, space station system, cargo spacecraft system and space application system, alongside 700 kilograms of propellant, the report said.

Something particularly noteworthy about this mission is the delivery of a third brand-new extravehicular spacesuit, CCTV News said. Following the two sets already sent to orbit by the Tianzhou-9 cargo craft, this latest delivery will fully complete the overall upgrade and replacement of extravehicular spacesuits aboard the space station.

Wang Ya'nan, editor-in-chief of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times on Friday that the arrival of the new extravehicular spacesuits is expected to enable taikonaut crews to carry out more extravehicular activities. 

Wang noted that these new suits appear to deliver improved overall performance, and this round of extravehicular spacesuit upgrades may suggest that extravehicular tasks at the space station are likely to grow more frequent and intensive in the days ahead.

Also on board the cargo craft are a new space treadmill and six scientific experiment payloads with a total weight of around 280 kilograms. They will support cutting-edge space science research in fluid physics, aerospace technologies and other frontier fields under the space station's microgravity environment, making this mission the most payload-intensive since the space station construction commenced, read the report.

According to Wang, the newly delivered space treadmill can help taikonauts enhance their physical training efficiency while in orbit, maintain physical well-being, and could better prepare them for longer-duration space missions.

Regarding the wide range of scientific experiment payloads carried by the Tianzhou-10 cargo craft, the expert said that this may point to a gradual expansion of research subjects, with each payload designed for targeted space experiments. "As the China space station steps into stable routine operation, the scale and scope of space scientific research could continue to broaden going forward," Wang noted.

CCTV News also said that most cargo items have already been loaded onto the spacecraft, while a small number of low-temperature preserved supplies - including fresh fruits and vegetables, refrigerated consumable kits, as well as biological and cell experiment samples - will be loaded shortly before launch. To ensure seamless pre-launch installation, researchers have conducted full-process rehearsals for the preparation, loading and integration of these experiment samples.

According to the Xinhua News Agency, the Tianzhou-9 separated from the orbiting Tiangong space station combination on Wednesday and re-entered the atmosphere under controlled conditions on Thursday. The space station has thus cleared a docking port to make room for the Tianzhou-10, the CMSA noted. 

In addition, the Shenzhou-21 taikonaut crew has completed in-orbit manual rendezvous and docking training, and is well prepared to welcome the Tianzhou-10 cargo craft, per CCTV News.